A lot can change on any given Sunday in the NFL.
When it comes to chaos, Week 8 was one to remember.
Lamar Jackson’s returned lasted one snap, his backup Tyler Huntley didn’t last much longer, and now Jackson is headed to the IR with a potentially season-ending injury.
The Baltimore Ravens odds to make the playoffs flipped from -220 to +380 at FanDuel following the loss of their star quarterback in what turned into a blowout loss to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday.
Meanwhile, the Denver Broncos stunned the Kansas City Chiefs to flip the script in the AFC West, the Detroit Lions handed the Minnesota Vikings their first loss, and the Arizona Cardinals pulled off a historic comeback win over the Dallas Cowboys. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers won a game without completing a pass.
Following a chaotic afternoon slate, Sunday Night Football was primed for a letdown, as the Philadelphia Eagles freefall continued in a loss to the NFC East rival Washington Commanders.
The Commanders, Eagles, and Cowboys all rank among the NFL’s biggest disappointments this season, which has left the idle New York Giants alone in first place in their division with a 4-2-1 record.
While the NFC East has featured a handful of letdowns, the NFC North and AFC North feature a combined eight teams above .500.
The NFC West isn’t far behind with three Super Bowl contenders in the San Francisco 49ers, Los Angeles Rams, and the defending champion Seattle Seahawks.
Which division is the best in football?
That question was raised a couple of times as the betting team watched the games in the boardroom on Sunday.
It’s bound to be a talking point again with the Seahawks set to host the Chicago Bears on Monday Night Football.
Seattle is a three-point favourite at FanDuel.
The total for tonight’s game is 46.5.
The Bears went all-in with the blockbuster trade to acquire All-Pro defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons from the Tennessee Titans in exchange for a package that featured multiple first round picks.
Tonight’s game represents the perfect test as a measuring stick game against the defending Super Bowl champions.
Let’s set the stage and lock in a FanDuel Best Bet for Monday Night Football in this Morning Coffee column for Monday November 2nd, 2026.
**Will JSN’s Historic Pace Continue On Monday Night Football?**
There were some obvious concerns about whether the Seahawks would be able to pick up where they left off after last year’s remarkable Super Bowl run.
Former offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak left to become the head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders, while Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III signed with the Kansas City Chiefs as a free agent in the summer.
Fortunately, Seattle still has the reigning AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year in Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
No player has been more important to the success of his team’s passing game than JSN has for the Seahawks.
Smith-Njigba leads the NFL with 867 receiving yards and eight touchdown receptions in seven games this season.
He’s accounted for a league-best 33.2 per cent target share with 58 receptions on 78 targets from two different quarterbacks in Sam Darnold and Drew Lock.
JSN’s 4.05 yards per route run is also the best in the NFL.
He has also been the first read on a league-high 43.1 per cent of Seattle’s pass attempts.
Smith-Njigba has accounted for 50.2 per cent of the Seahawks total receiving yards this season.
For perspective, only two players have accounted for at least half of their team’s receiving yards in a season dating back to at least 1948.
With JSN operating at a historic pace, FanDuel has been forced to push his game props into rare territory.
As of this morning, FanDuel has Smith-Njigba’s receiving yards prop at over/under 99.5 and his receptions prop at over/under 7.5.
He’s -110 to score a touchdown and +650 to score first.
The Bears are giving up just 9.4 receptions for 149.4 receiving yards per game to opposing wide receivers.
However, they’ve also conceded a 20.7 per cent explosive play rate to opposing wide receivers and tight ends – the eighth-highest rate in the NFL.
There is no doubt that the Seahawks will look to get their superstar wide receiver the football as often as possible on Monday Night Football.
The question is whether the protection in front of Darnold can hold up long enough to execute.
Simmons is expected to make his Bears debut tonight.
The All-Pro defensive tackle could provide a spark against a quarterback that has really struggled versus pressure.
Meanwhile, running back Zach Charbonnet is expected to make his season debut for Seattle.
Emanuel Wilson and George Holani have done their best to provide a spark in the ground game, but the absence of Walker and Charbonnet has left the Seahawks offence exposed at times early on this season.
Head coach Mike Macdonald acknowledged there will be a ramp up period for Charbonnet, but his role as a rusher, receiver, and in pass protection can’t be overlooked.
On the other side of the football, Seattle’s defence continues to perform at an elite level.
The Seahawks lead the NFL in defensive DVOA.
Interestingly, their opponents have the eighth-lowest Pass Rate Over Expected in the NFL, choosing to attack the on the ground at a higher than league average.
Bears running back Kyle Monangai is still sidelined.
While Caleb Williams has performed at an elite level for the most part this season, this will be his toughest test so far and I wouldn’t be surprised if Ben Johnson leans on the run game in a couple of different ways tonight.
First, the Seahawks have faced the third-most QB scrambles per game in the NFL this season behind only the Cowboys and Ravens.
Seattle has only allowed 18.3 rushing yards per game to opposing quarterbacks, but the results are inconsistent.
The Seahawks gave up 47 rushing yards to Drake Maye in Week 1 and 40 to Justin Herbert in Week 4.
Williams averaged 53.5 rushing yards in his first two games but has 21 combined in his last two games since returning from injury.
With some extra time off to rest and recover from a hamstring injury, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Williams try to make a play or two with his legs against a talented Seattle defence.
As for my FanDuel Best Bet, I’ll lock in D’Andre Swift over 17.5 receiving yards.
I played 3+ receptions earlier in the week, but that number has since been juiced to -166.
The Seahawks have allowed the fifth-most running back receptions per game (5.4) for an average of 31.9 yards.
Swift has cleared 4+ receptions in three straight games, while clearing 16+ receiving yards in three of his last four.
The Seattle defence doesn’t have many weaknesses.
Look for the Bears to turn to Swift in the passing game.
Have a great day, everyone!